The space junk problem just keeps getting worse. “Tracking 85 associated pieces at est 1169 km altitude - analysis ongoing,” the squadron said. Russian space equipment has been involved in a series of orbital-junk snafus in recent years. The defunct Cosmos 2361 satellite and an old Russian rocket body had aworrisome near-miss in January. Rocket parts, tiny bits of broken satellites and other junk pose a danger to functioning spacecraft....

ET on Saturday, Sept. 28, with a backup launch time of 12:54 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 29, fromCape Canaveral Space Force Stationin Florida. Who’ll be on board? Crew-9’s four-person team was cut in half so that accommodate the return of Williams and Wilmore. Hague turned 50 on Tuesday, and Gorbunov is 39. Hague has been an astronaut since 2013 and has spent time on the ISS on previous missions....

The lander is 8.5 feet by 7.5 feet (2.6 meters by 2.3 meters) when fully unfolded. Liftoff took place at 12:38 a.m. ET (11:38 p.m. Saturday PT). Hakamada added that the company is hoping to contribute to the Artemis program. The US space agency has already committed tobuying moon rocksthat M1 will collect. Thecompany confirmedon Sunday it had established a stable communications link with the lander. But it did raise funds to continue on its own and secure some customers with similar lunar ambitions....

Best three-day “weekend” ever? The astronauts safely exited the spacecraft about an hour after splashdown, following a recovery at sea. “That was a heck of a ride for us,“mission commander Jared Isaacman tweetedafter splashdown. “Congratulations @Inspiration4x!!! “SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said, also via Twitter. That’s not the only historic first. The mission is also the farthest human spaceflight since the space shuttle missions of the early 2000s. Isaacman is contributing $100 million....

Then, aStarlinklaunch is scheduled to take off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida the following day. Fourth launch and landing of Falcon 9 this yearpic.twitter.com/qTx1C3I53F Things weren’t supposed to line up this way. SpaceX’s launch director called it off with just over 30 seconds to go before engine ignition. Royal Caribbean did not respond to a request for comment. Further delays are always possible, so this launch itinerary could be reshuffled yet again....

Starship has yet to reach orbit, however. Musk said recently he hopes the firstorbital test flight of the vehiclecould come as soon as next month. Saturday’s mission is set for no earlier than 2:55 p.m. PT (5:55 p.m. ET) from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The center core booster will be “expended,” meaning it will fall into the Atlantic Ocean. The two side boosters will come in for a landing on shore at Cape Canaveral....

But Starship hasn’t made it to orbit yet. SpaceX has been firing up the booster to test it out ahead of the big launch. Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, has a tendency to talk up optimistic timelines. On Wednesday,Musk tweetedanother look at Starship on the pad, saying, “This is real.” Billionaire entrepreneurYusaku Maezawa intends to be on boardfor a Starship trip around the moon in 2023. Space tourism pioneerDennis Tito also signed upto take Starship around the moon on a different voyage....

According to the Post, the US government and taxpayers havespent around $3 millioncontributing to the effort. The Post additionally reported that SpaceX has donated 3,670 terminals, along with the internet service itself. Its story didn’t say how much that may have cost SpaceX out of pocket. SpaceX didn’t respond to CNET’s request for comment. He also urged people using the service to be careful to avoid detection by Russian forces....

SpaceX is set to resume building up itsStarlink constellation of broadband satelliteson Saturday morning. A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 7:19 a.m. ET (4:19 a.m. PT) carrying a batch of the latest laser-equipped version of the flying routers. The launch was planned for Friday morning but was postponed by a day due to weather. Standing down from todays launch due to weather. Starlink seeks to offer satellite-based broadband coverage across the planet....

SpaceX, the company helmed by Elon Musk, announced a new effort Thursday calledStarlink Maritime. The service will cost $10,000 upfront for the hardware, and then pay-as-you-go at $5,000 per month. That may seem steep, but if you own a boat it’s probably a steal. Which is probably why Musk,the world’s richest person, was so excited to announce it. Locating local internet providers “Starlink for boats! SpaceX’s move into boating connectivity marks the latest expansion for Musk’s high-profile spacefaring venture....

Lake sturgeon are doing their thing by making babies in Minnesota. Wildlife professionals are celebrating the first verified spawning in theRed River Basinin more than a hundred years. TheUS Fish and Wildlife Service tweeted a threadon Friday in honor of the “feel good conservation story.” The Minnesota Department of Natural Resourcesshared a video this week of the sturgeon spawningunderway. You are watching the first verified lake sturgeon spawning event in the Red River Basin in over 100 years!...

Levi’s is running a new deal where shoppers cansave 30% on purchases of $100 and morethroughAug. 8at11:59 PT.Everything during this sale will automatically show savings once everything is in your cart. While you’ll have a lot of options to shop for during this sale, certain things are excluded. Gift cards, special collections and items ending with 97 cents are off-limits. This offer has over 700 items available, with the majority of them bestsellers....

Amazon’s October Prime Dayis here at last, bringing deals on everything fromApple productstokitchen appliances. Solo Stove offersfire pitsof all functions and sizes. The bundle includes the fire pit plus a shield, stand, lid, cover and removable ash pan. Add the freeCNET Shopping extensionto your net online gate for real-time price comparisons and cash-back offers. And peruse ourgift guide, which includes a full range of ideas for birthdays, anniversaries and more....